Chapter 195: Hearer of Winds

Chapter 195: Hearer of Winds

Luo En and Daire moved cautiously through the Twist Battlefield, their senses sharpened against any lurking threats.

"Master, look over there!" Daire suddenly pointed into the distance, her voice tinged with excitement.

Following her gesture, Luo En spotted the massive ruins of a structure.

It had once been a temple or fortress, but the abyssal manatwist had grotesquely warped its form. The walls bent at impossible angles, with muscle-like tissue sprouting between the stones, making the entire ruin resemble a flayed internal organ.

Most striking was the tower standing at the center of the ruins. Its peak glowed with ghostly blue light, like a beacon piercing the gloom.

"That must be it", Luo En deduced. "It's probably the control point we're looking for."

They quickened their pace toward the ruins, but the closer they drew, the more a strange unease gnawed at them.

The air shimmered with an odd energy fluctuation—not the corrosive force of the abyss, but something older, purer, and far more alien.

"Master, something is watching us", Daire whispered suddenly. Her keen Siren senses prickled at the unnatural presence surrounding them.

Luo En nodded. He could feel the prick of countless unseen eyes too.

Like worms crawling beneath the surface of the ruins' shadows, they were being coldly observed.

"Stay alert. Don't stray too far from me", Luo En warned, his hand resting firmly on his sword hilt.

Yet as they reached the ruins' entrance, no attack came.

This eerie silence felt more unsettling than any ambush.

Inside the ruins, the scene became surreal.

Walls and floors pulsed with living flesh, occasionally twitching with irregular spasms that dripped with wet, squelching sounds.

The ceiling hung with countless semi-transparent sacs, their interiors vaguely shaped like human figures—though distorted, twisted into forms beyond comprehension.

The air reeked of dampness and a cloying sweetness, like the inside of some colossal beast.

Carefully avoiding the writhing flesh on the ground, Luo En searched for a path toward the Central Tower.

"Master, what are those?" Daire gestured toward strange symbols etched into the walls.

The markings resembled ancient script, but their lines twisted unnaturally, flowing like living things crawling across the stone.

Luo En leaned closer, only to see the symbols subtly shift under his gaze, becoming even more indecipherable—as though consciously evading understanding.

"They're probably ancient texts warped by abyssal energy", he theorized. "They might record this place's history or purpose. But now isn't the time to study them—we need to find the control point first."

After navigating twisted corridors and chambers, they reached the central open space of the ruins.

This had once been a grand hall or ritual chamber, now reduced to rubble.

The altar at its center remained intact, surrounded by several half-collapsed stone pillars.

Above the altar loomed the glowing tower. Reaching it would require passing through the altar first.

"We're here, but…" Luo En's eyes swept the area warily. "This silence is wrong."

As his words faded, the air around the altar began to twist like rippling water.

Faint shadows materialized from the air, gradually solidifying into forms.

Five figures emerged—humanoid but clad in battered armor. Their gray-white skin crawled with black patterns, and their hollow eyes burned with ghostly blue light.

Moving in perfect unison, like puppets controlled by a single will, they drew their weapons and encircled Luo En and Daire.

"Shadow Nightmare Hunters", Luo En identified them instantly. "Ancient warriors who died in battle, their souls twisted by abyssal energy into semi-corporeal beings."

Daire edged closer to Luo En, her hands already gathering Water Element for battle.

"Master, they seem to be waiting for something."

Indeed, the five Shadowyanhunters didn’t attack immediately. They maintained their defensive stance, as though awaiting a signal.

Luo En tested them by stepping forward. The Hunters reacted instantly, weapons pointing at him—but held their strike.

"They're guarding the altar", he realized. "We'll have to eliminate them first to reach the control point."

He quickly assessed the situation.

The Shadow Hunters were fast and coordinated, but their low physical density granted resistance to conventional attacks. Normal weapons would struggle against them, but spell attacks could counter their ethereal forms.

"Daire, we'll need to work together", Luo En murmured. "Prepare your Water Prison Technique while I draw their attention."

The Little Siren nodded, retreating a few steps as her hands wove complex gestures. Water Element gathered around her like mist.

Luo En channeled spiritual energy into his sword, enveloping the blade in a thin layer of radiant flame—a fusion of his "Radiant Halo" technique with swordsmanship.

"Let's go!"

He exploded forward with startling speed, charging the nearest Shadow Hunter.

The five Hunters sprang into action, their movements lightning-fast. They converged on Luo En simultaneously.

His sword mastery had reached absolute precision. Facing five foes, he danced between their attacks with effortless grace.

Each strike of his flame-wreathed blade carved faint fissures across their bodies, drawing shrieks of pain.

"Now, Daire!"

Luo En abruptly retreated, creating space for the Siren's spell.

——Water Prison Technique!

Daire clapped her hands together. The gathered water condensed into a massive sphere, engulfing all five Shadow Hunters.

The semi-corporeal warriors flailed, their movements slowing dramatically as if trapped in quicksand.

"Sound Wave Oscillation Erosion State!"

Seizing the opportunity, Luo En unleashed his strongest spell attack.

Invisible ripples passed through the water, directly targeting the Hunters' essence.

The effect was immediate. The five beings shrieked in unison as their bodies twisted violently, as if being torn apart by some unseen force.

Black patterns spread rapidly across their forms, covering their entire bodies before disintegrating into countless particles that scattered in the water.

"We did it!" Daire watched in delight as the enemies dissolved.

But then—those black particles began to coalesce, forming a swirling vortex of dark mist.

The vortex spun faster, condensing into a new form.

A translucent, towering figure emerged—pure black, with glowing blue eyes and chest markings.

"Merge?!" Luo En stared in shock. "The Shadow Hunters can fuse into a stronger entity?!"

The new monster raised a hand. Daire's water prison shattered like paper, bursting into droplets that sprayed outward.

"Master, watch out!"

Before Daire's warning finished, the black giant had already teleported directly before Luo En.

A punch launched—so fast its motion blurred.

Luo En didn't panic as he raised his sword to block.

His Flowing Barrier activated, forming a specialized defense against blunt force.

The massive fist roared down with crushing force, but only compressed the fluid barrier inward.

Trapped within the barrier's undulating surface, Luo En stumbled backward, his expression darkening.

Flicking his waist, a shadow shot forward—rapidly expanding—straight toward the giant's face…

………………

Meanwhile, in another sector of the Bloodline Altar, a group of youths clad in special robes gathered together.

Their attire differed from the black mistschool apprentices—gray in color, but with shimmering silver patterns like crystals adorning collars and cuffs.

Their backs bore embroidered patterns of a crystal tower, clearly marking their identity as elite apprentices of the Crystal Spire.

"Is everyone here?"

A young man standing at the center of the group asked, his voice carrying unquestionable authority.

His most distinctive feature was a pair of abnormally large ears, nearly double the size of an average person's, with a sharper, more pointed shape resembling two small fans from a distance.

This was Elliot Oswalt, the team leader of the Crystal Spire apprentice squad, a prodigy known among his peers as the "Hearer of Winds."

"Everyone's accounted for, Elliot."

A female apprentice with light gray hair responded, her eyes glowing with an unnatural violet hue as intricate silver runes coiled around her hands:

"Jaclyn just arrived in this area through the link."

Elliot nodded. This female apprentice also possessed a Special Innate Talent, serving as the team's vice-leader.

Just then, his oversized ears twitched slightly, as if capturing some faint sound.

Everyone held their breath, knowing Elliot was using his Special Innate Talent - "Wind's Listening."

This extremely rare ability ranked as one of the most powerful among second-tier innate talents.

Those with this talent could perceive energy fluctuations in their environment through their ears, transforming these disturbances into usable information.

In simpler terms, his ears could "hear" information imperceptible to ordinary people.

This included mana flows, spatial ripples, and even certain conceptual entities.

Moments later, Elliot opened his eyes, his expression turning grave.

"The situation is more complicated than we anticipated." He scanned the group, lowering his voice:

"I've already 'heard' some information about this altar trial."

The Crystal Spire apprentices immediately gathered closer, their expressions turning serious.

"Firstly, this space has indeed suffered deep Abyssal corruption, but some force seems to be limiting the curse's intensity, allowing us to withstand it."

Elliot explained, his ears still trembling slightly as they continued receiving data.

"Secondly, I discovered a crucial detail - the altar creates replicas of us, with significantly enhanced bloodline traits."

"A replicas?" A muscular male apprentice asked in surprise.

"Yes, Caesar." Elliot confirmed:

"Each trial participant has a corresponding replica located in the altar's central area.

Slaying your own replica grants significant bloodline enhancement, while killing another's replica provides partial elemental affinity and ability boosts."

This revelation sparked murmurs among the group, their eyes flashing with both excitement and caution.

"What about those Abyssal mutants on the perimeter?" Jaclyn asked. "What value do they hold?"

Elliot shook his head:

"Minimal. Their tissue can be extracted as experimental material, but it's difficult to handle and mostly drains our energy and resources. The true value lies in the replicas at the altar's center."

He straightened his posture, voice firming:

"Our strategy is clear - quickly clear the perimeter and head to the altar's center to slay our respective replicas for bloodline enhancement. Then..."

He paused, cold determination flashing in his eyes:

"If opportunity strikes, we can also target Black Mist School apprentices' replicas. Those replicas provide similar enhancements. After that."

"Fair play." Caesar grinned, a predatory gleam in his eye.

Elliot didn't respond directly, but his tacit approval was clear enough.

"Now, we move. According to energy fluctuations, the nearest portal lies in that direction."

He pointed toward a distant hill covered in violet-black vines.

As the Crystal Spire team prepared to advance, the surrounding environment suddenly underwent transformation.

The ground began undulating like a living creature, rising in waves.

The sky's clouds thickened into an unsettling spiral pattern.

The air filled with a pungent sulfur smell, as if something burned nearby.

"They're coming." Elliot said calmly, his ears already detecting the enemy's movement.

As he finished speaking, the ground around them erupted. Dozens of Abyssal Creatures surged from the cracks.

These creatures took various forms, all bearing clear Abyssal characteristics.

Some resembled twisted humanoids with excessive limbs.

Others appeared as grotesque insect-reptile chimeras.

A few had no fixed form at all, shifting like amorphous flesh.

"Prepare for battle!" Elliot commanded, drawing a crystal staff from within his robe.

—— Ring of Air Severance

As he moved, the staff glowed with pale green light.

The surrounding air twisted violently, forming invisible wind blades that instantly sliced the nearest three Abyssal Creatures in half.

The other Crystal Spire apprentices sprang into action, displaying combat prowess far beyond ordinary high apprentices.

Jaclyn's hands danced, arcs of electricity crackling between her fingers.

Quickly weaving an immense electric net, she engulfed a group of advancing Abyssal insects, reducing them to charred remains.

Caesar demonstrated astonishing physical power.

His arms doubled in size, covered in red scales, each punch sending massive Abyssal mutants flying meters away.

Another slim male apprentice - Nolen - displayed precise elemental control.

Slender ice-blue threads extended from his fingertips like flexible snakes wrapping around enemies, rapidly freezing and slicing them into frozen fragments.

Most remarkably was a seemingly frail female apprentice - Lina.

With eyes closed, she conjured dozens of tiny light orbs around her.

Each orb accurately targeted different enemies, piercing their bodies and leaving steaming holes in their wake.

"Coordinated formation!"

Elliot shouted. Everyone immediately moved to predetermined positions, forming a perfect ring defense.

This formation maximized individual strengths while compensating for weaknesses, showcasing exceptional combat efficiency.

Though the Abyssal Creatures outnumbered them, the Crystal Spire elite squad systematically eliminated the threat without sustaining any casualties.

"Team coordination - flawless."

Elliot evaluated, satisfied with the battlefield view: "Looks like the training paid off."

"Black Mist School won't have this synergy or the spirit link from Lina's innate talent."

Caesar snorted: "I'd bet they're fighting solo now, desperately scrambling."

"Never underestimate any opponent."

Elliot warned:

"Especially that Potion Master Luo En, rumored to possess the Special Innate Talent 'Resonant Physique Resonance' with an astonishing progress rate."

Jaclyn mused: "I heard he started with only Sixth Class Star spiritual energy as a semi-Muggle."

"He's now a high apprentice ranking among the top in the Backup Mage Sequence." Elliot reminded them:

"That progress rate defies normal expectations."

"I'm actually looking forward to seeing his replica."

Caesar grinned: "What kind of combat strength could a Potion Master with such a humble background even have..."

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end